NORRISTOWN — An East Greenville man accused of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed his passenger friend has told a jury he never learned how to drive and that no one has ever let him get behind the wheel of a vehicle.

However, Howard Arthur Christy II, when pressed in Montgomery County Court about whether he drove the vehicle involved in the fatal crash on April 29, 2012, testified, “I honestly don’t know.”

Christy, 24, of the 500 block of Blaker Drive, testified Wednesday during the third-day of his trial. He faces charges of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol, accidents involving death while not properly licensed, DUI and possession of a small amount of marijuana in connection with the one-vehicle crash in the 200 block of Paper Mill Road in Douglass (Mont.) that claimed the life of Etinye Usoro, 21, also of East Greenville.

“(Usoro) was a really close friend. We hung out a lot. I’d consider us pretty much best friends,” Christy testified for defense lawyer Francis Recchuitti, adding he met Usoro while they attended Upper Perkiomen High School and later worked together at a Quakertown pallet company.

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According to Christy’s testimony, Usoro picked him up at his home in a white Pontiac Sunbird about 10:30 p.m. April 28, 2012, and the pair drove around on “back roads” and stopped in the woods to drink vodka mixed with cranberry juice. The two shared about a half a bottle of vodka, according to Christy’s testimony.

“I don’t remember much after about an hour or so,” Christy claimed, adding the next thing he recalled was waking up at Lehigh Valley Hospital in the intensive care unit after a crash.

Authorities who reconstructed the crash alleged the vehicle, which had been traveling eastbound on Paper Mill Road, left the roadway approaching a bridge crossing the Perkiomen Creek, traveled 63 feet across a grassy area, drove off the side of the bridge retaining wall and traveled 44 feet in the air before flipping onto its roof and landing upside-down in about three-to-four-feet of water.

Authorities estimated the crash occurred between midnight and 1 a.m.

Christy was able to free himself from a seatbelt and find an air pocket in the car, according to authorities. Usoro was unable to free himself and remained underwater, according to the criminal complaint.

Christy and Usoro, testimony revealed, were trapped in the partially submerged car, with temperatures outside hovering around freezing, until 10:45 a.m. when a passer-by, Chris Harwick, made a heroic effort and pulled Christy from the vehicle and summoned rescue crews.

Testimony revealed Christy apparently told arriving paramedics that he was the passenger in the vehicle. However, Christy testified Wednesday he didn’t recall speaking with rescuers.

Rescue crews entered the water and were able to extract Usoro, who was still seat belted in the front passenger side seat, according to testimony and court papers. While removing Usoro from the vehicle, a partially full bottle of vodka floated from the car, testimony revealed.

An autopsy determined Usoro died from drowning, according to court papers.

Detectives testified for Assistant District Attorney Matthew Quigg and co-prosecutor Stewart Ryan that Christy, when interviewed at the hospital, admitted he had been driving the car at the time of the crash and that he didn’t have a driver’s license.

However, Christy testified he didn’t recall being interviewed by detectives. Recchuitti has suggested Christy, because of his injuries and medical treatment, wasn’t sufficiently coherent to be properly interviewed.

A blood test, nearly 12 hours after the crash, determined Christy had a blood-alcohol content of 0.12 percent, according to court papers. The legal blood-alcohol content for driving is 0.08 percent.

County Detective David Schanes testified the investigation determined Christy was operating the Pontiac and that his intoxication at the time contributed to the crash.

While Recchuitti suggested the crash could have occurred when the driver tried to avoid hitting a wild animal in the wooded area, Schanes testified there was no evidence of abrupt swerving to suggest that scenario.

Recchuitti also implied a third, unknown person might have been in the vehicle and that person could have been the driver. However, when questioned by Quigg, Christy testified he doesn’t remember a third person ever being in the car.

When police searched Christy’s pants after the crash they located a bag containing “a green leafy substance consistent with marijuana in one of the pockets,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill, who is presiding over the trial, told jurors they will begin deliberations Thursday.

About the Author

Carl Hessler Jr. writes about crime and justice at the Montgomery County Courthouse for The Mercury and 21st Century Media Newspaper’s Greater Philadelphia area publications. A native of Reading, he studied at Penn State University and Kutztown University before graduating from Alvernia University with a degree in communications. He is a recipient of a National Headliner Award and has been honored for his writing by the Keystone Press Association, Philadelphia Press Association, Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Press Managing Editors of Pennsylvania. Reach the author at chessler@pottsmerc.com
or follow Carl on Twitter: @MontcoCourtNews.